Film reviews: The Dog Stars is a deeply human story with a quartet of excellent performances

Plus kinky comedy 'I Want Your Sex' starring Charli XCX

Jacob Elordi as Hig and Josh Brolin as Bangley in 'The Dog Stars'; Cooper Hoffman as Elliot and  Olivia Wilde as Erika Tracy in 'I Want Your Sex'; Bono and Guggi in the documentary about the artist and former member of the Virgin Prunes.

The Dog Stars

★★★★☆

Directed by Ridley Scott, The Dog Stars (15a) is based on the 2012 post-apocalyptic novel by Peter Heller. It follows survivors of a devastating flu that wiped out most of the US. Jacob Elordi plays Hig, a survivor who is eking out a pretty good living in a rural compound with Bangley (Josh Brolin).

Bangley is ex-military and has kitted the compound out like a fortress, while Hig, a mechanic, has found ways to ensure they have running water, electricity, and the means to grow food.

Bangley is content in their little world. He is a natural survivalist and doesn’t have a conscience about shooting scavengers who encroach on their borders. He isn’t cruel, but life has become kill or be killed.

Hig will kill if he must, but he hates it and is somehow still optimistic that others won’t always mean him harm. He is a pilot and regularly flies his battered Cessna to nearby cities to gather dwindling supplies for himself and Bangley, but also for a local Mennonite community. Every time he heads out, he brings Jasper, his beloved dog.

It is on these trips that we learn a little about Hig’s past life and the grief he is carrying over those he lost in the pandemic.

Sometimes when he flies, he hears a recorded message coming over the airwaves. He decides he must find out who is sending the message out, hoping that a community of survivors is trying to rebuild a society.

Bangley tries to convince Hig not to go, but he can’t spend the rest of his life in the compound. He loads up the Cessna and sets out but doesn’t get far before he is forced to land close to survivors Cima (Margaret Qualley) and her father, Pops (Guy Pearce).

Pops is understandably wary, but Cima is glad to see a man her own age. For the first time in a long while, there is the possibility of something more than simply surviving from one day to the next. As Pops and Cima help Hig get the plane airworthy, a change in circumstances sees them join him on the hunt for the source of the recorded message. When they get there, they find a place that threatens their survival. Meanwhile, back at the compound, Bangley faces imminent death from a new threat.

The Dog Stars is beautifully shot and, despite some dark moments and the post-apocalyptic setting, it is a film about hope. It moves between an epic action film and meditative sweeping drama — it is an unusual balance, but one Scott handles with ease.

It takes an odd turn when they reach the source of the message. What transpires is out of place with the tone of the film and really doesn’t work, but the rest is so good that the misstep can be forgiven. With a quartet of excellent performances and a zinging chemistry and warmth between Brolin and Elordi, The Dog Stars is deeply human and both contemplative and genuinely thrilling throughout.

I Want Your Sex

★★★☆☆

The kinky comedy I Want Your Sex (18) explores a generation whose pandemic-shaped youth left them missing out on key interactions and fearing intimacy.

The film opens with Elliot (Cooper Hoffman) finding a woman floating upside down in a swimming pool. From here, the film takes us back in time to find out how Elliot ended up in this dire situation.

Elliot has finished college, but with no job prospects, he is desperate for a break. He lands an interview at a prestigious contemporary art gallery run by Erika Tracy (Olivia Wilde), a renowned artist and sexual provocateur.

To Elliot’s surprise, he gets the job. Soon, he is increasingly drawn into Erika’s world, and the boundaries between art, sex, manipulation, and personal desire begin to blur.

Elliot enjoys sex, but he is not particularly adventurous in the bedroom. His girlfriend, Minerva (Charli XCX), is more focused on her college exams, leaving Elliot sexually frustrated.

But he is far from prepared for Erika, who introduces him to a world of BDSM and sexual experimentation in which she is very much in control.

So, how do things go from kinky bedroom antics to a body floating in a pool? The kink gets kinkier, Elliot gets increasingly out of his depth, and Erika’s upcoming art exhibition is making her behaviour more extreme than usual. As for the body? Now that would be telling.

I Want Your Sex tackles power imbalance, the pushing of boundaries in the name of art, but, while it can be funny, it raises consent issues. While Elliot goes willingly into the sub/dom relationship with Erika, the situation becomes far from clear as the film progresses.

It has terrific performances and cracking dialogue, though the consent issues are hard to overlook — even considering its satirical approach.

Guggi

★★★★☆

Guggi is one of Ireland’s most renowned artists, but in many quarters, he is perhaps unfairly recognised as much for his famous best friend as for his art.

In a fascinating new documentary about his life, Guggi (12a) — Dublin-born artist Derek Rowen — takes centre stage in his own story.

And yes, while his bestie Bono features, we see that Guggi is very much a celebrated artist in his own right.

The documentary takes us back to Guggi’s childhood, where we learn that he was always drawn to art but was not encouraged to pursue his interest.

Growing up, Guggi and Bono were neighbours and became best friends at a young age.

They talk about the origins of their nicknames, about being outsiders, and about bringing singer Gavin Friday into their merry band when they were teenagers. Their love of art and music led them down their respective paths.

We are taken through Guggi’s days with the band The Virgin Prunes before he ultimately decided that art was where his destiny lay.

The documentary offers an intimate look at his art, his rise to international acclaim, and a frightening health crisis that granted him a new outlook on life.

Insightful, intimate, and warm, Guggi is a great watch for art lovers and admirers alike.

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